The present invention relates to modular chain conveying systems, and more particularly to conveying systems that invert objects being conveyed.
Conveying systems that invert objects, such as cans or bottles for cleaning, typically include twisted guides that invert the object moving long a conveyor path. The guides keep the objects on the conveyor path and twist to invert the object. One advantage of this system is that it is an inline system that does not take up a lot of floor space or add to the conveyor path length. However, if the shape or size of the object being conveyed changes, the guides must be adjusted to accommodate the new shape or size. This is very time consuming and impractical for many applications.
Vacuum conveying systems do not require guides to invert objects, and thus can easily accommodate objects having different shapes and sizes. In one known prior art system, a conveyor chain wraps around a drum circumference. A vacuum in the drum retains objects on the conveyor chain as the chain travels around the drum circumference. Another known prior art conveying system includes a rotating cylindrical plenum having a vacuum. A conveyor chain wraps around the rotating cylindrical plenum which retains objects on the chain via the vacuum. Both of these known systems take a significant amount of floor space and increases the length of chain required to conveyor the objects. A need exists for an inverting conveyor system that does not wrap entirely around a drum and does not require reconfiguring when art object size changes.